This game has two interesting defensive questions to be answered: 1) How does Smush hold up against the ultimate penetrating small guard in the league (and does Kobe spend some time on him too)? 2) What lessons did the rest of the NBA take away from the Laker collapse at the end of the Minnesota […]
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On Tap: The Minnesota Timberwolves
Update: Kobe is off to a fast start on the offensive end, but his defense is the focus of a good piece over at 82Games.com (done by friend of the site, and stats wiz, Kevin Pelton). A must read. A couple years ago they brought in some veterans that were supposed to get them an […]
On Tap: The Atlanta Hawks
Steve Belkin was right. Not for the right reasons — his was more about a power play than issues about a player — but trying to reject the Joe Johnson trade was the right move. Count me in with the group that think the Hawks overpaid — both the contract and in terms of draft […]
On Tap: The Denver Nuggets
New Rule: Watch the backdoor lob. The Nuggets, one of the trendy preseason picks to be one of the best teams in the Western Conference, come into Staples Center looking for a little revenge after a 1-2 start that includes a loss to the Lakers in dramatic fashion last Wednesday. This is also an important […]
On Tap: The Phoenix Suns
The rumors of the Sun’s death have been greatly exaggerated. At least that’s what I came away with after watching the second half of their opening night game against Dallas. Yes the Suns lost (in double OT), but they looked good doing so (well, except for the last 8 minutes) against a team I like. […]
On Tap: The Denver Nuggets
(For those readers new to Forum Blue & Gold, we do a preview of each game, giving you some things to look at both from the Lakers and their opponent. This is the first of at least 82 — hopefully more.) I am pumped. Let’s get this season started. Unlike some major college football power […]